straub etal



Apzrill 8, 1.958

K. STRAUB ETAI.

INVENTUR'. Karl 57'- U 5 4m! Wilhelm walfhe United States INTERRUPTOR ARRANGEMENT FOR A DETRKFL UTOR OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTKON ENGINE Karl Straub, Stuttgart, and Wiihelm Waither, Stuttgart- Lederberg, Germany, assignors to Robert Bosch G. in. b. H., Stuttgart, Germany Application September 4, 1956, Serial No. 607,624

Claims priority, appiication Germany September 1, 1955 8 Claims. (Cl. 200--31) which forms part of the interrupting structure, and the present invention relates to the manner in which this interruptor plate is mounted in the distributor assembly.

Great difiiculties are involved in mounting of such I interruptor plates in conventional distributor assemblies.

One of the objects of the present invention is to pro vide a distributor with an exceedingly simple structure for mounting an interruptor plate of the above type in a manner which guarantees proper operation of the interruptor plate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a distributor in which the interruptor plate can be very easily assembled with and disassembled from the rest of the assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of the above type where the interruptor plate is reliably guided for movement in order to adjust the timing of the distributor with an exceedingly simple structure.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists of a distributor which includes an elonv gated distributor housing having an outer wall surround ing an axis of the distributor. A plurality of projections are fixed to the inner face of this outer wall and extend toward the axis of the housing. An interruptor plate of the above type is located within the housing, extends across the axis thereof, and is pivotally connected to one of the above projections and slidably engages the other or the projections so that the interruptor plate is pivotally connected to the distributor housing and is at the same time guided in an exceedingly simple manner for those movements which are necessary to carry out the timing adjustment.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a sectional elevational view of one possible structure according to the present invention, Fig. i being Z3J4i Patented Apr. 8, 1958 taken along line I-I of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 11-11 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view of a detail of the structure of the invention, Fig. 3 being taken along line III-III of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view of the interruptor plate of the assembly of the present invention.

The illustrated embodiment of the distributor is one in which the timing adjustment is made automatically in dependence upon the pressure prevailing in the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine. As may be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the distributor includes a housing which is elongated and which has at its left end, as viewed in Fig. 2, an outer wall which surrounds the axis of the distributor housing 10. A second housing 11 is fixed to the housing 10 with the structure shown in detail in Fig. 1, and this housing 11 cooperates with the housing 10 to form a connection from the latter to the intake manifold of the engine, which is not illustrated. The duct 12 leads from the intake manifold to the interior of the housing 11, and the housing 11 has in its interior a resilient membrane acted on by the spring shown in Fig. 1 and fixed to the bottom end of an enlongated control pin 13 which is pivotally connected at its top end, as viewed in Fig. l, to the interruptor plate 14. This interruptor plate is shown by itself in Fig. 4. The interruptor plate 14 extends across the axis of the housing 10 in the interior of the latter.

The primary current interruptor of the distributor is located on the interruptor plate 14, and this structure in cludes the interruptor lever 15 which is turnably carried by the plate 14 for turning movement about an axis parailel to the axis of the distributor, this lever 15 carrying a contact 16. Furthermore, the plate 14 fixedly carries a support 17 for another contact 13 which cooperates with the contact 16 in a known way. The interrupting structure also includes the shaft 19 which is turnable about its axis in the housing of the distributor and which carries the interruptor cam which serves to turn the lever 15 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, so as to separate the contacts 16 and 18, a suitable spring acting on the lever 15 to urge the latter in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the contacts 16 and 18 engage each other when the camming portions of the cam 20 move away from the lever 15. It will be noted that the cam 20 is fixed to the shaft 19 for rotation therewith' and that the plate 14 is formed at a central portion thereof with an opening through which the shaft 19 and cam 20 extend, as indicated in Fig. 2, this opening being sufficiently large to provide turning of the plate 14 in a manner described below without risking any engagement between the plate 14 and the cam structure carried by the shaft 19.

The interruptor plate 14 is carried and guided by projections 21, 22, and 23 which are fixed to the inner face of the outer wall of the housing 16, as by being formed integrally therewith, and which extend from this inner face toward the axis of the housing. The projection 21 is located at a side of the honing which is opposite from the part thereof where the projections 22 and 2.3 are located, as is evident particularly from Fig. 1. This projection 21 is formed with a bore which passes therethrough and which is parallel to the axis of the housing. A pivot pin 24 is fixed to the plate 14 as by being riveted thereto, and this pivot pin extends turnably through the opening in the projection 21, a nut being screwed onto the right end of the pivot pin 24, as viewed in Fig. 2, so as to prevent axial shifting of the pin 24. In order to make it easy to have access to the nut 36, the housing 1% is formed with an opening 31, shown in Fig. 2, through which suitable tools may extend for turning the nut 34).

The plate 14 has a pair of portions 25 and 26 which are relatively small which slidably engage the projections 22 and 23.

As is evident from the drawing, as the pressure in the intake manifold changes the membrane in the housing 11 will be acted upon so as to shift the control pin 13 and in this way turn the plate about the axis of the pivot pin 24 so as to control the timing of the distributor in a fully automatic manner.

It should be noted that the projections 2ll23 have left side faces, as viewed in Fig. 2, all of which are directed toward the left end of the housing 10, as viewed in Fig. 2, and all of which are located in a common plane. Furthermore, the plate 24 overlaps and engages these left side faces of the projections 2l--23, so that the portions of the plate 14 which engage the projections 21 23 are also located in this common plane, which is perpendicular to the axis of the housing ll). The central portion of the plate id which surrounds the central opening thereof is located in a plane parallel to and spaced from the plane in which the left side faces of the projections 2l23 are located, as viewed in Fig. 2. Those portions 25', .26 and the portion of plate 14 which engages the projection 21 are in the form of tongues struck fror the plate 143- and having a substantially L-shaped configuration, as is evident particularly from Fig. 2. Thus, these tongues have outer free end portions which are parallel to and spaced from the plane of the central portion of the plate 14, and it is the outer ends of these tongues which engage the projections 2l23. The tongues slide against the left side faces of these projections, and the entire plate lid is pivotally connected to the projection 2t.

As a result of the direct connection of the interrupter plate 14 to the housing of the distributor, not only is a particularly simple constructive solution to the problem of mounting the plate provided, but in addition an arrangement where the turning axis of the lever 15 extends parallel to the axis of the distributor is guaranteed because the interruptor plate 14 cannot be subject to distorting forces when it is mounted in the distributor which might cause the turning axis of the lever 15 to become other than parallel to the axis of the distributor.

As a result of the feature of providing tongues of substantially L-shaped configuration for engaging the projections 2l.23, respectively, there is sufiicient room left on the plate 14 in order to mount thereon all of the required structure, and at the same time a lengthening of the housing A? in order to accommodate this structure is not required. Furthermore, providing an arrangement where the guiding and supporting portions of the plate 14 are in a common plane and cooperate with the faces of the projections 21-23 which are in a common plane results in a very reliable operation of the interruptor plate 14 as well as in a guarantee that this plate M will not tilt undesirably.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of distributors differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in interruptor arrangements for distributors, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a distributor, in combination, a distributor housing having an outer wall and a plurality of rigid projections fixed to an inner face of said outer wall and located in the interior of said housing; and an interruptor plate directly engaging said projections so as to be supported thereby, located in the interior of said housing, and being pivotally connected to one of said projections.

2. In a distributor, in combination, an elongated distributor housing having an outer wall surrounding the axis of said housing; a plurality of rigid projections fixed to an inner face of said outer wall of said housing, located in the interior of the latter, and extending toward said axis, one of said projections being formed with a bore passing thercthrough in a direction substantially parallel to said axis; an interruptor plate located in said housing and directly engaging said projections; and a pivot pin fixed to said interruptor plate and extending through said bore of said one projection and slidably engaging the latter so as to provide a pivotal connection between said interruptor plate and said one projection.

3. In a distributor, in combination, an elongated distributor housing having an outer wall portion surrounding the axis of said housing; a first rigid projection fixed to said outer wall portion of said housing at an inner face portion thereof and extending toward said axis; second and third rigid projections fixed to said inner face of said outer wall portion of said housing ata side of the latter opposite from said first projection, said second and third projections also extending toward said axis; and an interruptor plate located in the interior of said housing, being pivotally connected to said first projection, and slidably engaging said second and third projections.

4. In a distributor, in combination, an elongated distributor housing having an outer wall surrounding an axis of said housing; a plurality of rigid projections distributed about said axis and fixed to an inner face of said outer wall and extending toward said axis, all of said projections respectively having side faces directed toward one end of said housing and located in a common plane; and an interruptor plate located in the interior of said housing and having portions which respectively overlap and directly engage said side faces of said projections, said plate being pivotally connected to one of said projections.

5. In a distributor, in combination, an elongated distributor housing having an outer wall surrounding an axis of said housing; a plurality of rigid projections fixed to an inner face of said outer wall of said housing, lo cated in the interior of the latter, and extending toward said axis; and an interruptor plate located in the interior of said housing and having a plurality of tongues struck therefrom and directly engaging said projections, respectively, one of said tongues being pivotally connected to the projection which it engages.

6. In a distributor, in combination, an elongated distributor housing having an outer wall surrounding an axis of said housing; a pair of rigid projections fixed to an inner face of said outer wall of said housing in the interior of the latter and located at substantially opposite parts of said outer wall, said projections respectively extending toward said axis and respectively having side faces directed toward one end of said housing and located in a common plane normal to said axis of said housing; and an interruptor plate located in said housing and extending across said axis thereof, said plate having a first portion engaging said side face of one of said projections and being pivotally connected to the latter and having a second portion slidably engaging said side face of the other of said projections.

7. In a distributor, in combination, an elongated distributor housing having an outer wall surrounding an axis of said housing; a pair of rigid projections fixed to an inner face of said outer wall of said housing in the interior of the latter and located at substantially opposite parts of said outer wall, said projections respectively ex tending toward said axis and respectively having side faces directed toward one end of said housing and located in a common plane normal to said axis of said housing; and an interruptor plate located in said housing and extending across said axis thereof, said plate having a first portion engaging said side face of one of said projections and being pivotally connected to the latter and having a second portion slidably engaging said side face of the other of said projections, said interruptor plate being located at a substantially central portion thereof in a plane parallel to and spaced from the plane in which said side faces of said projections are located, and said interruptor plate having a pair of tongues of substantially L-shaped configuration struck therefrom and forming said portions of said plate which engage said projections.

8. In a distributor, in combination, a distributor housing having an outer wall and a plurality of rigid projections integrally made therewith and projecting from the inner face of said outer wall inwardly into said housing; and an interrupter plate directly engaging said projections so as to be supported thereby, located in the interior of said housing, and being pivotally connected to one of said projections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,688,055 Schneider et al. Aug. 31, 1954 2,763,741 Brunk Sept. 18, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 545,361 Great Britain May 21, 1942 

